Politics

Russia ordered its troops to leave Ukraine’s city of Kherson, the first major regional center seized in its invasion, in a highly symbolic setback for President Vladimir Putin. With Kyiv’s forces pressing their counteroffensive in the region bordering occupied Crimea, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in a televised briefing Wednesday ordered the troops to withdraw from the western bank of ...

Vladimir Putin won’t attend the Group of 20 summit next week, people familiar with the planning said, as the Kremlin seeks to protect the president from potential high-level tensions over his invasion of Ukraine. Ending months of suspense, Putin’s decision avoids potential confrontations with other world leaders, including US president Joe Biden who has labeled the Russian president a “war ...

US voters delivered a mixed verdict in elections shaped by inflation and splits around social issues, with Republicans headed toward control of the US House, but by smaller margins than forecast. With polls closed across most of the US, some of the bellwether races that Republicans had hoped to snatch were held by Democrats. In one of their biggest wins ...

Hungary denied it’s holding up the Nato entry bids of Finland and Sweden as part of its fight over billions of euros in European Union aid but won’t vote on expanding the military alliance until it passes laws tied to the cash. Finland and Sweden, which are also EU members, will cast votes when the bloc decides next month on ...

North Korea denied US allegations it was selling arms to Russia for use in Ukraine, amid worries Pyongyang could be moving closer to Moscow as it faces criticism from Washington over its weapons tests. “We once again make clear that we have never had ‘arms dealings’ with Russia and that we have no plan to do so in the future,” ...

The UK will legislate to extend the deadline for holding an election in Northern Ireland, people familiar with the matter said, to allow time to strike a deal on the region’s Brexit status with the European Union. The plan will be announced in Parliament on Wednesday, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The current expectation is that ...

President Joe Biden acknowledged Democrats face a “tougher” challenge holding the House than the US Senate on the eve of Tuesday’s midterm elections. “I think it’s going to be tough but I think we can. I think we’ll win the Senate. I think the House is tougher,” Biden told reporters Monday at the White House, after he was asked if ...

President Joe Biden’s national security adviser and senior Kremlin aides have held private talks in recent months to reduce the risk of a broader conflict over Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reported. A peace settlement wasn’t a goal of the discussions, according to the report. Sullivan alluded to US-Russian contacts after Russian leaders suggested that nuclear weapons might be an ...

UK Trade Minister Greg Hands is holding talks with Taiwanese officials to “future-proof” Britain’s economy in the coming decades, as Rishi Sunak’s administration looks to take a harder stance on China. The in-person trip to Taipei, aimed at boosting economic ties between the countries, comes as the UK takes an increasingly protectionist approach to Chinese investment. Prime Minister Sunak has ...

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol issued an apology to the nation over a deadly pre-Halloween crowd crush, with members of his government facing criticism over management of the incident that killed at least 156 people. “I am sorry and apologetic to the bereaved families, who are facing tragedy that cannot be expressed in words, and to the people who ...